


Possibilities

by MusingSkies



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Eventual Fluff, Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team 8, Team 8 Perspective, Team Bonding, Team Gai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-02 00:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5226818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusingSkies/pseuds/MusingSkies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hinata challenges Pein during his assault on the village, Kiba and Shino are there to witness it all. Their worlds are forever changed when they are presented with the possibility of losing someone they care for in battle, and the realization that life can sometimes be fleeting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Possibilities

Kiba winced in pain, his leg practically crushed under a pillar of concrete. He had to bite his lip until it bled to stop from crying out in agony, but he managed. He looked around, and his face instantly paled. The village…Konaha...had been obliterated. The attack Pein had unleashed created a large crater, a crater that was once the heart of the village itself. He could feel himself go numb in disbelief, before suddenly terror struck him hard. Where was his family? His team? Were they still alive? 

“Kiba!” At the call of his name, Kiba turned his head sharply to see his mom, who had been beside him during the attack, run up to him. Akamaru and her nin-dog followed shortly behind; Akamaru whimpered at the sight of him. 

“M-augh!” Kiba began to call towards Tsume, but a sharp pain shot up his leg, and he leaned back, shouting out a stream of curses. Tsume contributed to his shout, letting out a sharp curse of her own before crouching down and assessing the situation. Akamaru nudged Kiba’s head, giving him comfort while Tsume’s nin-dog paced uncertainly. The dust began to settle slowly and he was able to catch sightings of others. He almost cried out in relief when he saw Hinata standing near another Hyuga whom seemed injured, while Shino was farther off, lifting a slab of concrete off himself and three other Aburames. 

“Ugh, your leg is totally buried,” Tsume cursed again, and Kiba stopped himself from yelling sarcastically, ‘Oh really now?’ It must have showed though, for she quickly snapped, “Don’t give me that look!” 

She tried to push the pillar off his leg, and he almost yelled out. She managed to move it down to his ankle, and she growled under her breath. Kiba laid down on the rubble, his face twisted in pain, when a thought hit him.

“W…Where’s….Hana?” He managed, turning to his mom. She was trying to help Kiba’s leg by apply pressure to the bleeding points. 

“Safe. Or at least she should be. She stayed outside of the attack,” Tsume assured him, but by how she kept glancing back at the border of the attack, Kiba assumed she wasn’t sure. 

“Go find her…I’ll be fine,” Kiba assured her. Tsume shot him a scowl, before it weakened into an exasperated frown. 

“I’ll stay…with Akamaru,” Akamaru barked at Kiba’s statement, as if confirming it. Tsume massaged the bridge of her nose before nodding, “Fine, but stay here! Don’t you dare try to get up and fight! I’ll come back with Hana and she’ll fix you up. Now stay!” 

Kiba rolled his eyes, and Tsume glared before taking off, but not before he managed to catch the slight concern that flashed through her features. He gave a weak smile at that, before lying down completely again, his body aching severely, though he couldn’t help but feel relieved. His friends and family, his pack, were okay. He knew he didn’t have to worry about Kurenai, because he was certain she had probably evacuated since she was still pregnant. 

A sudden wave of whispers washed over the area, causing Kiba to glance up in confusion and Akamaru to suddenly wag his tail. He peered down to the middle of the devastation where he suddenly spotted….

“Naruto?” Kiba blinked rapidly, before squinting. It was Naruto! But…he looked different. He was dressed in a long crimson cloak, and a scroll was positioned on his lower back, while two small frogs were atop his shoulders. His chakra had changed slightly, it was powerful; more than it had been when he last saw Naruto. In front of the blonde teen was the monster who caused all this destruction; Pein. Naruto was facing him alone? He couldn’t help but snort softly in amusement. The guy never ceased to amaze him….  
Kiba looked over at Hinata, wondering how she would react. Her crush was well known in her team, and seeing the one she loved in trouble must cause her anxiety. It did, from the looks of it. She was tense, and her face had gone as white as a ghost. The Hyuga behind her seemed to be telling her something, and she vaguely seemed to listen, her eyes hidden underneath her bangs. Kiba looked over to Shino this time, and could see his gaze had also fallen on Hinata. 

Kiba returned his gaze to the battlefield where Naruto stood with Pein. They seemed to be conversing, when suddenly they went into a full out battle. Kiba stared, watching the two fight one another. Unfortunately, it looked like Pein was winning. Kiba wanted to shout words of encouragement, but he was afraid to distract Naruto. One misstep, it seemed, and he would be done for. 

However, after a few tense moments, Naruto suddenly ended up being pinned down by chakra rods. Kiba cursed under his breath, and he began to try and shove the pillar off of him. Naruto was done for unless someone helped him. The pillar, however, refused to budge. Damn…it looked like this was the end for him.

A sudden glint caught his eye, and Kiba looked over before spotting someone diving down on Pein, chakra covering their hands. The Deva Path dodged to the side swiftly, and a large cloud of dust erupted. Kiba narrowed his eyes, trying to find out who the person was when a familiar scent caught his nose. No…that couldn’t be.

“Hinata?!” Kiba’s mouth dropped when he spotted Hinata standing defiantly in front of Pein, her Byakugan activated and her body resting in the Gentle Fist style. The Hyuga that had been with Hinata began yelling, obviously frantic at the heiress’ actions. Kiba would be doing the same, if he wasn’t frozen in shock. His eyes were glued on Hinata as she seemed to speak, and a shocked expression suddenly formed on Naruto’s face. 

A cold wind washed over the village, chilling Kiba to the bone as a tense silence followed. Pein stared at Hinata blankly, while Hinata seemed to be waiting. She took a step forward, and seemed to aim to attack the Deva Path, when suddenly she crouched down and whipped out her leg, snapping one of the chakra rods in two. So she was trying to free Naruto….

A sudden force lashed out at Hinata before she could strike the next rod, and her body was forced backwards, a cry of pain escaping her lips and reaching his ears as she rolled to the ground. 

“Hinata!” Kiba shouted, alarmed. He began to force the pillar off of him, all the while calling Hinata’s name as she struggled. In the back of his mind he was aware of the shooting pain that went up his leg each time he moved the pillar, but his focus was too concentrated on Hinata to register the throbbing. He was, however, able to sense a presence suddenly appearing before him, and Kiba tensed, turning his head sharply. He expected an enemy, but what he saw instead was Shino, who instantly began to help push the pillar off of Kiba’s leg. 

“Shino! Forget about me and save Hinata!” Kiba ordered, causing the Aburame to pause for only a few seconds before continuing his task of freeing his teammate. 

“Damn it, Shino! I said help Hina--!”

“It’s too late. She already engaged in battle,” Shino cut him off uncharacteristically, his voice level though there was a tint of unease that only people who have known him well enough could detect. 

“Don’t even think all that ‘honor in battle’ shit! If she doesn’t get help she’s going to--!” A sharp scream caught the two shinobi’s attention, their heads snapping up in alarm towards the battle. Hinata had been thrown through the air before collapsing roughly on the hard ground, her body tumbling before coming to a stop on her side. Kiba swore loudly, gripping his hands onto the sides of his head, while Shino’s hands clenched into fists. Shino hastily turned back towards the pillar that had Kiba trapped and with one last shove, the concrete rolled off Kiba’s leg. Kiba to bit back a groan as the weight was lifted off, the forgotten pain coming back full force. He grit his teeth together, fighting as much as he could against it, before he struggled to stand. But fighting through the pain wasn’t enough, and his leg caused him to fall back to the ground. Akamaru whimpered and nudged Kiba, telling him to not push it even though he worried for Hinata too. 

“I can’t move,” Kiba cursed before turning back to Shino who seemed still, “I’m free now, so go help her, damn it!” 

Shino seemed to snap back into reality with those words, and he gave a nod before taking off towards the battle. Kiba watched his retreating form, before noticing what looked like four people appearing on the horizon towards them, wondering who they could possibly be. It didn’t matter now, as long as they weren’t more enemies. What did matter was if Shino got to Hinata in time.

\---------------

Shino dashed through the rubble, leaping over broken pipes and vaulting over concrete slabs. He had never run so fast before, but he couldn’t slow down. Kiba’s words and Hinata’s screams pushed him to the limit and gave him the speed he never expected himself to have. Hinata was in danger, and she needed to be saved. The girl he had first thought was a nuisance because of her timid nature, but had in time become one of his closest friends; who had first admired his technique instead of being frightened by it, and who understood him, for him, was now on the verge of death, and, unless he did something, would be gone forever. 

The Aburame leapt over a large boulder that had been discarded from the enemy’s attack, his gaze behind his sunglasses locked onto his goal. Usually he would never get attached to anyone, especially people outside of his family, but after the Chunin Exams all those years ago, he realized how much determination actually was in her, and it made him feel respect towards her. She was determined, and kind, and he had to save her, before the enemy decided to--.

A glint of metal caught his eye as he suddenly spotted Pein standing above Hinata, eyes cold as he held a stake above her. Shino cursed, picking up his pace until he was practically on the edge of stumbling. He made his chakra focus into his feet for him to sprint faster and easier, but the effort was futile.

With a swift downward motion, Pein stabbed Hinata in the chest. Shino halted, his body freezing as his mind seemed to go blank. He…he had been too late. 

In the back of his mind he was aware of Kiba yelling behind him in disbelief and anger, and Shino would have done the same if he hadn’t lived to control his emotions all his life; if he hadn’t been shocked into silence. Things seemed to go in slow motion then, as the thought of a teammate actually being gone hit him. He had been lucky, for most of his close friends and family hadn’t been killed in action. But now that it seemingly happened right before his eyes…he wasn’t sure how to cope. 

The next thing Shino knew, a powerful chakra force suddenly rushed past him, and he had to drop to one knee to keep himself from falling over. A strange, sinister feeling washed over him, and he looked up to see oozing red chakra bubble over Naruto. Was this…the Nine-tails? As soon as the thought left Shino’s mind, chakra in the form of tails began to sprout, as well as ears atop Naruto’s head. His eyes, which had been sky blue, were now crimson. From where Shino was, he could see Naruto glare down on Pein like fire. It was clear of his intentions.

He was going to avenge Hinata. 

Shino managed to stand, realizing Hinata was still down on the battlefield and could possibly be injured. Luckily, however, the team of four that had been in the distance appeared. Team Gai, it seemed, who had been away on a separate mission, had returned to a scene of devastation, and had instantly rushed to their aid. Shino watched as what seemed to be Neji pick up the Hyuga heiress, before taking her away from the battle with the rest of the team. His gaze followed them as they landed near a pink haired woman off to the side of the crater; Sakura. 

As soon as Shino’s mind connected with his body, he instantly took off in that direction, his speed matching his previous dash. He leapt over rubble and concrete, before landing quietly beside Lee, who jumped in surprise at his sudden and silent appearance. The Aburame said nothing, but Sakura had glanced at him in the corner of her eye and gave a slight nod, as if to reassure his silent pleas that he didn’t dare speak. 

Seeing Hinata up close made his mind halt once more and his body to become void of emotions on the outside. Her body was beaten and bruised, and her violet jacket was stained with blood. Her breathing, which he could barely see, was shallow, and she had blood coming out of the corner of her lips, suggesting internal bleeding. He forced himself to look away in order to glance briefly at the others, seeing concerned stares from Tenten and Lee, while Neji, and surprisingly Gai-sensei, were stoic. Gai was probably used to these kinds of things, he had experienced sorrow in the past, though as for Neji…if you looked close enough, you could see a burning hatred in his eyes for whoever did this. 

“H-Hinata!” A voice suddenly called, and the group turned to see Kiba and Akamaru coming over. Kiba was sitting atop of Akamaru, though he was falling to one side because of his leg. Akamaru skidded to a stop, and Kiba had to grip Akamaru’s scruff to keep from falling off. His eyes widened at the sight of his female teammate and her current condition. He clenched his fists tightly, visibly shaking with anger before he suddenly pointed at Shino, causing Shino to slowly turn away from Hinata and to his other teammate.

“Why didn’t you get to her sooner?!” Kiba shouted, “I told you to go and you just--!”

“I went as fast as I could,” Shino stated, remaining as impassive as stone. 

“Bull shit! You stalled!” Kiba snapped. Team Gai watched the exchange between the teammates silently, an uneasy air falling over them as they watched the dispute. Sakura was focusing all her attention on Hinata, her hands glowing green as she healed Hinata’s wounds as well as she could. 

“I was helping you,” Shino narrowed his eyes, “If you hadn’t gotten stuck under that pillar--.”

“Don’t you dare put this on me!” Kiba bared his teeth, and Akamaru whimpered, not enjoying the argument at all, “Do you even care about her at all?!” 

Almost a second after he had uttered the words, Kiba had been lifted off of Akamaru by the collar and slammed into a nearby wall, Shino looming over him. Kiba let out a strangled yell in pain which mixed into a snarl as the two teammates glared at one another. 

“Hey!” Tenten yelled, taking a step forward to stop the two from fighting but was stopped by Neji, who placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. 

“Never ask me that question,” Shino muttered, his words like ice, “Why? Because even fools like you know the obvious answer, and the fact that you asked it shows that you are challenging my judgment.” For a moment, Shino looked away, his sunglasses reflecting the battle currently going on between Pein and Naruto. He then murmured, almost too silent for Kiba to hear, “Of course I do.” 

Kiba’s glare softened slightly at Shino’s words, before he huffed and looked away as well. Shino slowly released Kiba, dropping his arm down to his side and remaining impassive. Kiba leaned back against the wall to support himself, Akamaru coming over and leaning against his good leg to give him support. 

Silence ensued, and then….

“…N-Naruto-kun…” 

Shino and Kiba’s heads whipped towards the once dying Hyuga, their attention solely on her as she began to regain consciousness. Sakura, the pink haired medic, brushed the back of her palm against her forehead and smiled in relief. 

“Hinata!” Kiba instantly reacted, and ended up falling over as he attempted to reach her. Shino oddly came to his aid, standing him up and letting Kiba use him as a crutch as the two walked over to their female teammate so they were in her line of view. 

Hinata blinked, her gaze foggy as she attempted to focus. The first person she saw was Sakura, who smiled tiredly and said, “Welcome back, Hinata.” 

The Hyuga winced slightly, suddenly aware of the dull pain that filled her, before she glanced around and spotted her teammates, as well as her cousin and his team. 

“Kiba-kun…Shino-kun,” She stared at her teammates before giving a weak smile. Kiba forced Shino to kneel down next to him next to their teammate as he instantly scolded her. 

“Hinata, what were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed!” Kiba exclaimed, causing Hinata to blush softly and glance away.

“Kiba, don’t reprimand her for something she chose to do,” Shino muttered, though he silently agreed with what the Inuzuka stated. Hinata slowly sat up with the help of Sakura and murmured softly, “I-I’m sorry, that I worried you both.” 

Akamaru barked.

“All three of you,” Hinata corrected, before suddenly a realization hit her. 

“N-Naruto-kun, is he…?” She turned towards Sakura, who only nodded her head towards where Naruto had gone back from being the nine-tails down to sage mode once again, taking down the Deva Path. She gave a small smile, and suddenly felt weary. She almost fell back, had Shino not put his hand on her back to hold her up. She gave him a smile in thanks. 

“Just…promise you won’t freak us out like that again,” Kiba finally said as Hinata turned her attention back to them. Hinata nodded, and held out her hand, taking hold of Kiba’s as she leaned against Shino’s palm. She felt how worried the two had been for her; from how tight Kiba gripped her hand to how steady Shino kept his hold on her, as if the two of them were afraid of losing her again. She felt guilty for making them worry, however she felt a warmth envelope her at the thought of how much they cared, how much everyone cared, about her. She looked up at her teammates, before smiling gently and answering Kiba’s previous request, giving Kiba’s hand a squeeze while moving to rest her head on Shino’s shoulder as she did so. 

“I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to take a peek at some of my old fics. I really liked how this one came out and spruced it up a bit so it was presentable enough to post. Feel free to leave some comments and suggestions if you would like. Thank you for reading!


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